


In a Polaroid Picture

by innocent_until_proven_geeky



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Gwen Cooper is Polyamorous, Gwen Cooper is also bi, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Polyamorous Character, also because i want her to be, anyway, because all of team torchwood is but, no beta we die like Ianto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:42:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29603337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innocent_until_proven_geeky/pseuds/innocent_until_proven_geeky
Summary: Gwen finds a photo of her and Tosh, and remembers.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper & Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Gwen Cooper/Toshiko Sato
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	In a Polaroid Picture

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's very last-minute but I wrote this for the [Torchwood Fan Fests](https://torchwoodfanfests.tumblr.com/) femslash fest. But here it is! I did a thing!
> 
> Title is from [She](https://open.spotify.com/track/45h4w81P5iJJTSeR0jJUQ8?si=830c342552dc402b) by Dodie ~~because if you haven't figured this out yet all of my titles are either stupid or from songs I like~~.
> 
> All my thanks to Ruairidh for being supportive, ily, and also thanks to the Discord server for making me ship all the ships. This is your fault, and I love you. /lh 

_She found it while she was clearing out Tosh’s desk._

_It was a box, small and cardboard and unassuming, with a little white label on the front in Tosh’s handwriting._ Photos.

_Gwen wondered why Tosh kept the box here and not at her flat; why she kept a box at all and not a photo album._

_And she shouldn’t pry, not really, there was no reason to—but her heart caught in her throat and she thought, maybe… well._

_Gwen opened the box and started going through the pictures, tears welling up in her eyes. Some were photo strips like the kind you got from those little booths; others were Polaroids; still others were developed from disposable film, or digital or mobile phone cameras._

_Everyone was represented, although Tosh was least of all—probably because she was the one to take most of the pictures. Gwen found several of Owen and of Ianto, and more than a few of Ianto with Jack. She laughed a little, a wet and sorrowful sound. She saw pictures of herself, and was that really what she looked like from the side?_

_Gwen was maybe halfway through the stack of photos when she found one, a Polaroid, that she remembered. She had one arm around Tosh’s shoulders, and was planting a kiss on Tosh’s cheek. Tosh was laughing, her eyes scrunched closed, and was half out of the frame because she had been trying to take the picture herself._

_Gwen smiled, but the tears spilled over, like she couldn’t quite decide what emotion to feel. She missed Tosh, missed her with everything she had, missed her the way she missed Owen, the way she loved Rhys and adored Ianto and Jack, and this photo—this was from a happier time. A better time. She ached, and she remembered._

:::

One of the first things Gwen Cooper told Rhys Williams when they started dating was that she was polyamorous, and though he didn’t quite understand, he acknowledged it and respected her and loved her just the same, and asked only that she let him know if she wanted to go out with someone else. Of course, she would have told him even if he hadn’t asked—communication is key in relationships, after all—but his asking allowed her to feel loved in a way none of her previous partners had ever quite managed.

So when Gwen came to him and told him she liked Tosh, it was no surprise when he simply asked, “So, when are you going out with her?”

(That, and “Where are you taking her?”, and “Be home before I fall asleep, I want to hear all about it.”)

And that was that.

:::

Actually asking Tosh out was significantly more difficult than telling Rhys that she wanted to ask Tosh out.

First of all, there was the rest of the team, and Gwen didn’t want to embarrass Tosh by asking her out in front of them.

Ianto would probably be quietly supportive, actually, but that was it. Jack would be happy for them, but he would leer and joke and poke fun. And Owen….

He would make fun, too, but he was always more abrasive about it than Jack, and with Tosh’s unresolved crush on him, well.

Gwen had to get Tosh alone, was the point. Which wasn’t exactly easy, seeing as how the team spent a great deal of time together in the Hub, especially Gwen, Tosh, and Owen, unless they were out hunting Weevils or seeking out Rift gifts.

But of course, if the team was out hunting Weevils or seeking out Rift gifts, they were probably together, or at least Gwen and Tosh would have either Jack or Owen with them.

And then there was the fact that the Rift _was_ so active lately. If things had been quiet, well, Gwen could perhaps get away with following Tosh around the Hub until they were alone, citing boredom. But not when they were busy, writing reports and Gwen liaising with the Cardiff police and Tosh working on figuring out how a variety of alien technology functioned.

It took three weeks after talking to Rhys for Gwen to finally get Tosh alone.

Ianto had been injured by a Weevil the day before, and was at home recovering under orders of both Owen and Jack, which meant, among other things, that everyone was on their own for coffee.

So it was easy, when Tosh slipped away to the kitchenette, for Gwen to follow.

Gwen leaned against the counter while Tosh fiddled with the coffeemaker. “How are you, Tosh?” she asked, putting on a warm smile that she knew was more tired than she wanted it to be.

Tosh turned with a tiny jump, but when she realized it was just Gwen she smiled back. “I’m just tired,” she admitted. “We’ve been working hard all week, and I don’t think things are going to settle down any time soon.”

Which was a little bit of an obstacle for Gwen, seeing as one can’t plan a date if one doesn’t have time to go on a date, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She had learned how with Rhys and his nearly-unconditional patience.

Gwen pulled Tosh’s mug down from where it sat on the shelf and offered it to Tosh, who nodded a silent thanks, and then went for it. “Maybe, when it does, you and me, we could go out for dinner?” she asked, trying to feign nonchalance.

She was never any good at that, though.

Gwen didn’t miss the way Tosh’s cheeks colored, or the way she ducked her head and tried desperately to look like she was focusing on the coffee.

“Like a date,” Gwen added, after a moment.

The anxious silence stretched for almost a full minute, and Gwen was about to accept that she had misinterpreted Tosh’s body language from a moment before and that she was being rejected when Tosh said, “I’d like that.”

Gwen flashed a winning grin at Tosh and didn’t say much more. She didn’t have to; they both knew that it could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before the Rift calmed down, and Weevils were an ever-increasing occurrence, so they would go out when they had a chance and not a moment sooner. The important thing, Gwen knew, and she tried not to skip back down the stairs too obviously, was that Tosh had said yes.

:::

Like they expected, it was a few weeks--just shy of a month--before the Rift calmed down, but it did calm down. After two days of nothing but investigating the myriad alien artifacts the Rift had provided them, most of which turned out to be junk and scrap metal anyway, Gwen’s mobile pinged.

_Blackweir Tavern tonight?_

Gwen grinned and hid her face from view of the others behind her hair.

_I’ll meet you there at 7_

And the evening could hardly come fast enough. As soon as Jack let them leave, Gwen was out the door; at home, she told Rhys where she would be going and he helped her decide what to wear, bless her husband. He smiled, kissed her goodnight, reminded her to get home early enough to tell him all about it, and then sent her off with a “good luck” and a wink.

:::

Going to the pub with Tosh was easy, and Gwen was glad they chose something simple and normal and not something extravagant that would leave them both flustered. They were used to going to the pub together, with the team, a few times with some of Gwen’s friends outside Torchwood whom she barely spoke to anymore, with Rhys, and even alone. They could talk to each other for hours and never be at a loss for words or topic of conversation, and not once did they have to mention Torchwood.

Tonight was little different, except for the fluttering in her gut that left Gwen wondering if she should actually drink anything. But by the time Gwen entered the pub, Tosh was already sitting in a booth, fingers clacking away at her laptop, with two drinks in front of her.

Gwen’s face warmed and her heart beat a little faster, affection and joy rolling over each other to take their own places governing Gwen’s actions.

Gwen sat across from Tosh, who didn’t look up for a long moment before, presumably, remembering where she was and why. Then, she met Gwen’s gaze with the brightest smile Gwen had seen since--probably since Mary, actually, and the thought made Gwen’s heart clench in her chest a bit. She slid her laptop over to the side and closed it.

“I got your favorite,” she said, gesturing to the drink in front of Gwen. “I think.”

Gwen fought down a giddy giggle at the way Tosh bit her lip, her brow furrowing as though she were trying to remember. Tosh was brilliant, with a better memory than anyone Gwen knew except perhaps Ianto and the application skills to match, but she had never been quite comfortable with _people_ , especially outside of the Hub, and sometimes if one of the team caught her flustered they could still see it. Gwen’s heart jumped.

“As long as it’s something I’ll remember the name of tomorrow, I’m sure it’ll be just fine,” Gwen teased, gentle and lighthearted and everything she felt for Tosh.

Tosh’s expression eased, and then she asked Gwen about Rhys, and they talked and drank and ate for three hours without even an awkward pause.

Because going to the pub with Tosh was easy, like it always was. And Gwen would invite her again and again if it meant she got to see the way Tosh’s eyes lit up when she was explaining something Gwen couldn’t even begin to understand, or the way her smile softened as Gwen poked gentle fun at Ianto and Jack, or the way she grasped Gwen’s hands with a half-horror stricken expression as Gwen elaborated on the last Weevil hunt Tosh had missed (it had been, for all intents and purposes, one of the worst Weevil hunts Gwen had seen--Jack had died twice protecting her and Ianto).

Tosh was telling her about one of the alien artifacts that was most definitely _not_ scrap metal, about how she had tried all sorts of buttons and none of them made much sense to her but at least she hadn’t gotten anyone hurt yet (Gwen half-snorted at the comment, even though they both knew it was a real possibility) when her phone rang. The pair looked at each other, knowing a phone call for either of them could only really mean one thing, and Gwen glanced at her watch--nearly half ten in the evening--while Tosh answered.

Gwen watched the way Tosh’s facial expressions changed, confusion to frustration to understanding to resignation (Gwen thought that might be her least favorite), and she knew that it was Jack at the other end of the line. Her hypothesis was confirmed when Tosh said, “I’ll bring Gwen. We’ll be there within twenty minutes,” and ended the call, lips pursed.

“Weevils?” Gwen asked with a sigh, already going to her bag to pay.

“Weevils,” Tosh replied in the same tone. And then, her voice a little brighter, “Wait!” as Gwen stood up to pay.

Gwen cocked her head to the side, and Tosh blushed like she was suddenly embarrassed.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Gwen asked.

“I want to take a picture,” Tosh said, reaching into her own bag. She pulled out a Polaroid camera and gestured Gwen over.

Gwen sat next to Tosh in the booth, and Tosh turned the camera toward them. They both smiled at the lens, but at the last moment, Gwen turned and kissed Tosh’s cheek. Tosh’s eyes went wide, and she giggled, and snapped the photo even as she did.

:::

_Gwen looked at the photo for a long time, long enough that she didn’t even notice when Jack came around behind her until he settled his chin on her shoulder._

_“That’s a cute picture,” he said, and anyone could hear the sorrow in his voice._

_Gwen nodded, her cheek brushing against his. “We went on a date,” she explained._

_Jack let out a huff of air through his nostrils, like he was trying to keep breathing and not cry because he knew Gwen needed him now more than he needed Gwen._

_“I didn’t know you two were dating,” he finally said._

_Gwen grimaced. “We weren’t yet,” she said, and dropped her hands full of pictures into her lap. “I never got to ask her on a second.” Her chest tightened painfully, and her breath hitched, and Jack moved his head away from her shoulder to come around and pull her out of her chair. He took the pictures from her; most of them went back into the box on Tosh’s desk, but Gwen saw when he put the Polaroid on Gwen’s own desk. And then he took her in his arms, and let her cry._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Consider checking out my writing blog, [Ver Writes Things](https://ver-writes-things.tumblr.com). I take prompts and submissions and have a few tumblr exclusives.


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